The global co-ordinator of the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots says she was bitterly disappointed by New Zealand's lack of engagement at a recent UN conference on autonomous weapons in Geneva.

A mock killer robot during the launch of the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots in London in April 2013.

Photo: AFP

Mary Wareham - the arms advocacy director at Human Rights Watch - said the group wanted a pre-emptive ban on the development of weapons able to select targets and use force without any form of human intervention.

Mary Wareham

Photo: Twitter / @marywareham

Ms Wareham, a former Wellingtonian now based in Washington DC, also co-ordinated the New Zealand campaign against landmines from 2007 to 2012.

She said New Zealand had no policy on autonomous weapons despite a commitment made by Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully in 2013.